Slide 1

Neil Westbury Desert Knowledge Australia Presentation to the 1X All-Russian Forum on Strategic Planning in the Regions and Cities of Russia, St Petersburg 18-19 October 2010 REINVESTING IN REMOTE AUSTRALIA: CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM remoteFOCUS Slide 2 FOCUS OF PRESENTATION The role and work of Desert Knowledge and the remoteFOCUS Project. The Challenges and Opportunities facing Australias remote towns and regions. Lessons learnt to date and proposals for structural reform. Two examples of single industry towns where some positive results emerging. Slide 3 Desert Knowledge Precinct on 29 May 2010 Identifies and develops key local and national projects that contribute to a social, economic and environmentally sustainable future for desert Australia Slide 4 THE GOVERNANCE OF AUSTRALIA Slide 5 Remote Australia 85% of continent 4.5% of population Slide 6 Total Australian population 2006 = 20.1 million Remote population = 482,523 Sparse and Mobile Coastal population = 14.1 million Urbanised Slide 7 High concentration of Indigenous communities Indigenous 24% of Total Remote Population Slide 8 Indigenous growth rates - Non-Indigenous growth rates 2006 to 2016 Slide 9 THE MINERALS RESOURCES BOOM Prolonged boom in export of minerals and energy (especially Iron Ore and Liquefied Gas) driven by demand from China & Japan Projected to increase by 28.4% from $A132b in 2009-10 to $A170b in 2010-11 Represents 39% of all Australian exports (agriculture 4.6%, manufacturing 32.5% and services 21.3%) Slide 10 Iron Ore and Liquefied Gas mainly sourced from remote Australia Heavily reliant on FIFO labour Towns adjacent to major mining deposits lack required infrastructure and services History of under-investment by governments THE MINERALS RESOURCES BOOM Slide 11 Population aged 15+4,759 Has no post-school qualification4,200 Has less than Year 10 schooling1,500 Not in the labour force2,190 Hospitalised each year (all persons)2,800 Has diabetes (25 years and over)1,020 Has a disability1,020 Arrested each year1,050 In custody/supervision at any one time 310 Achieves Year 7 literacy (current attendees) 60% 15 year olds surviving to age 65